“I will,” Greyson answers her. “My doctor said I have to lie around for a few days just to be careful. After that, I’ll be back in action.”
There’s another knock. Winona’s head pops in the front door. “Yoo hoo! I’m here for home health …” Her words stop and she looks around. “What is this? A party?”
She looks at Greyson. “I’m not sure you should have this many people over your first day out of the hospital. My supervisor advised that you rest.”
“By all means, clear the room,” Greyson says.
Winona puts her fingers to her mouth and whistles one of those piercing two-finger whistles. Conversations come to a halt. The room stills.
“Everybody!” Winona says with her hand on her hip. “As the home health nurse, I’m going to have to ask you to clear out. Greyson needs his rest. Shoo, shoo, shoo!”
People glance at one another, then, miraculously, start to walk toward the doorway, stopping to wish Greyson well and telling him to call them if he needs anything on their way out.
Avery says, “I’m going to take Mia for a celebratory ice cream. Meet you back at your place, Hallie.”
I look down at Mia and ask, “Is that okay?”
“Is ice cream okay? Mommy. Ice cream is always okay.”
I chuckle. “Okay. I’ll meet you two at home.”
And then it’s just me, Greyson and Winona left in the house.
Greyson looks at Winona. “You’re hired.”
Winona smiles. “Well, I obviously was already hired. If Iweren’t I wouldn’t be here telling everyone to leave.” She looks around. “Now, I need to see your meds.”
“They’re in the kitchen on the counter next to the fridge,” I tell her.
“I’ll just go look at them, then,” she says. “When was the last time you changed that ice pack?”
“It’s time,” Greyson says.
“Hand it over,” Winona says, sticking her hand out. “I’ll be in the kitchen. Twenty on. Twenty off. I’ll be back in twenty.”
“Okay,” Greyson says, smiling with amusement at Winona.
Then, looking at me he says, under his breath, “Finally.”
Winona pauses mid-stride. “And how are you holding up, Hallie?”
“I’m good,” I tell her.
Winona walks over to me and pulls me into a spontaneous hug.
Then she steps back and looks over at Greyson. “Don’t mind me. I’ll just be doing nursing things. Nurse-assistant things.” Her face scrunches in confusion and she glances around the room. “Only, there’s no nurse here for me to assist.” She bobs her head once. “Well, never mind. I’ll just do the job. Maybe a nurse will show up later and I can assist her when she does.”
Greyson chuckles.
Twenty minutes. I look at my phone. Even though I’ve only known Winona for a short time, I can already tell twenty minutes means twenty minutes.
I take a deep breath and walk over to the couch, sitting on the coffee table facing Greyson from the spot where Mia had been sitting.
“So,” we both say in unison. And then we laugh an uncharacteristically awkward laugh.
“Go ahead,” Greyson says, his eyes on mine, ice blue, intense, and focused.
“Okay,” I say, taking another deep breath and letting it out while my shoulders drop. “I know you’ve been through a lot in the past few days.”
